Luke 4C "What is this Word?"

S = 4:31-32, 36-37 “And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority… And they were all amazed and said to one another, ‘What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!’ And reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region.”

O = They were both amazed and astonished at his teaching and works of deliverance and healing. It was nothing less than his message from Nazareth applied. Could the same message have been preached in Capernaum with different results?  We see that all the demons that manifested were silenced and cast out that day and the days following. In fact, Jesus rebuked them and refused to receive their witness—in a way that reminds me of Abraham’s refusal to take any of the spoil from Sodom (Genesis 14:21-24). The king of Sodom couldn’t say that he made Abraham rich and likewise the devil couldn’t say that he had made Jesus popular. There was a new sheriff in town!
         What made Jesus’ words authoritative? Can his words still bring miraculous change? Yes, though it is still opposed by the spiritually unclean status quo!

A = What response do I see in my life when Jesus speaks?
Am I astonished at his teaching, or am I not really listening to his radical message of grace? Am I amazed at how his message can actually change lives, or am I not really watching for it? Am I telling others what he has done or is there something less important or less life changing that I would rather talk about…or am I simply mute like the demons after they were rebuked? Do I recognize the authority of Jesus’ message in my life, or do I just dabble around the outside as a spectator…hoping to see a good show?

P = O LORD, you know that I neither listen to, nor speak of, your Word with the passion deserved. May that change today!
May I be captured by your words of grace!
May I surrender to your words of authority!
May I believe that your Word, the Bible, was written to bring Jesus-change to my life today!
"What is this word?" It is the love of God delivered to me today!
Amazing…astonishing…authoritatively good news! Amen.